Oh, so he's playing tricks, huh?
Sid smirked as he studied the stall owner before him—the mysterious box, the fancy name "Rainbow Fruit," and that smug little line: "It's expensive. Want it?"
The tone was casual, but to Sid it reeked of arrogance (entirely his imagination), enough to make his teeth itch.
Classic market scam.
First, stir curiosity. Then, build suspense. Finally, sell junk at a sky-high price.
Sid had seen it all before. He felt nothing. Paired with his intimidating looks, he exuded the air of someone who might flip the stall over at any moment.
"First, tell me what you're selling," Sid said with a faint smile. "Let me see what sort of treasure is supposedly worth such a price."
The man glanced around, then casually picked up the box. "You're the first one to ask all morning. Here—open it yourself."
The box was shoved into Sid's hands. He froze.
This… wasn't how scams usually worked.
Normally, there'd be some sob story, some fake urgency, followed by a "special discount" that was still robbery.
He eyed the man warily. "I'm really opening it, then?"
"Go ahead."
"…I really am?"
"Open it."
"You're not going to stop me?"
"Are you sick or something?" the man muttered, staring at Sid like how can someone look this sharp yet be this dense?
Sid felt a flicker of doubt—had he misjudged this guy? But it was too late to retreat. Gritting his teeth, he opened the box.
Let's see what's supposedly so amazing.
The moment the lid cracked open, a dazzling rainbow light spilled out.
Then came a fragrance so sweet it defied words—like being drenched in honey and sunlight. Just one breath, and Sid's instincts screamed: Eat it! Eat it now!
Somehow, a crowd had gathered, drooling openly as they urged him to lift the lid all the way.
Sid's throat bobbed. What in the world…?
He flung the box open.
Inside wasn't some grand treasure, but a lump of fruit pulp—half the size of a fist, torn crudely from the original. Yet its shimmering flesh glowed with all the colors of the rainbow, as if woven from living light.
"What… what is this?" Sid asked, struggling not to bite into it then and there. His willpower was the only thing saving him from humiliation.
"I told you," the man said flatly. "A piece of Rainbow Fruit."
Then he raised his voice for the crowd:
"This came straight from the Gourmet Zone—the fruit of that colossal plant!"
Gasps exploded around them.
"What?! From that plant? But that area's crawling with monsters! How could anyone get close?"
"Every veteran I know who tried died before they even saw it! The deeper you go, the stronger the monsters!"
"Wait, wasn't the fruit supposed to be round? Is this a scam?"
The man shrugged. "Believe what you want. I barely slipped past the beasts. Almost grabbed the whole fruit—then they spotted me. Before I died, I tore off this one little piece."
"I believe you."
Sid snapped the box shut with a sharp click, cutting off the aroma before he lost control. "So… what does it do?"
His tone, without realizing, had shifted into one of respect.
"Why should I tell you if you're not buying?"
"I'll buy!" Sid said at once. "But let's talk somewhere private."
"Fine," the man nodded—just as the crowd erupted.
"Trying to hog it for yourself? How selfish! Where's your adventurer's honor?"
"Yeah! Why not talk here?"
Sid calmly snapped his fingers.
The world fell silent. Within a five-hundred-meter radius, every sound died.
High-tier Mass Silence.
The man arched a brow, intrigued. Clearly, this old man was no ordinary customer.
"This way, please." Sid's voice carried alone. The crowd instinctively parted—not out of courtesy, but because Sid made them.
They walked straight to the Adventurers' Guild.
The moment Sid stepped through the doors, staff panicked. "Branch Master Sid?!" They scrambled to summon the guild head.
The branch head rushed out, froze, opened his mouth—and found no sound came out, trapped by Sid's spell.
Only when Sid reached the third-floor meeting hall did the silence below finally lift.
"What's he doing here? And who's that with him?" the receptionist whispered.
The branch head gave a bitter laugh. "How could we ever understand Branch Guildmaster Sid's thoughts…"
.
..
...
Inside the lavish meeting room, Gina served tea and quietly stood at Sid's side.
Sid leaned forward, fingers steepled like a commander.
"Allow me to introduce myself properly. I am Sid—one of the Adventurers' Guild's branch masters. Soon, I'll be taking over the Bedford branch."
He smiled faintly.
"You may also know me as Silent Sid. Once, I was a Gold-ranked adventurer. Retired now, of course. A small point of pride for these old bones."
Across from him, the man's eyes widened in shock. He quickly extended his hand.
"An honor, truly! I'm Maldron, just an ordinary adventurer. Never thought I'd meet someone like you."
The shock was fake, of course.
This was only Wade's third day outside the dungeon. He barely knew this world's common sense, let alone the prestige of a Guild Branch Master.
But Sid looked so proud that Wade played along—and it worked perfectly.
Three days earlier, Stella had delivered the materials he'd requested. In return, Wade had given her another lesson in the fine art of shield poke.
After she left, he immediately prepared the Art of Resurrection.
The body? Jack's.
Not long ago, robed clergy had dumped Jack's corpse into the dungeon after some strange ritual.
Never one to waste resources, Wade used it.
The ritual succeeded beyond expectation—Jack's body melted into raw flesh and reshaped around Wade's soul.
The new body resembled Aldwin in his prime but leaned more toward human features. Only the black hair and eyes marked him as unusual.
With a body at last, Wade tested whether he could leave the dungeon. To his delight, he could—and his absolute control over Sein Dungeon remained intact.
The past three days, he'd been roaming outside, cramming world knowledge.
As for why he ended up selling fruit… that was another story.
"I'm just a retired old man now," Sid said with obvious satisfaction, enjoying Maldron's reaction.
Then, with a smile that carried weight, he asked:
"So… how much do you want for that Rainbow Fruit?"